There’s no denying the importance of basic English and maths skills, as they are a mandatory requirement of most employers. The state of literacy and numeracy skills in England however, looks bleak following the Organisation for the Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) October report showing England’s 16-24 year olds ranked 22nd (literacy) and 21st (numeracy) out of 24 countries surveyed.
NCFE is offering solutions to this skills crisis and has developed a suite of 130 fundable English and maths qualifications ranging from bitesize, single unit qualifications to certificates. NCFE is focused on tailoring to each learner’s individual needs, and these qualifications can be mixed and matched but also used as pre-GCSE training.
The single unit qualifications are designed to boost a learners’ skill in an area they find more challenging or difficult than the rest of the curriculum, making them an ideal stepping stone towards GCSE level. Learners can complete the qualifications at their own pace and can target their own weaknesses. This personalised approach means learners are only improving the skills they need to in order to advance to the next level.
The mix and match nature of the qualifications means they can be combined if a learner is at different levels in different areas. The qualifications range from Entry Level 1 to Level 2, and can be combined in any way. We also produce themed awards, which contains two or three of these single unit qualifications in order to address a wider ranging weakness in a particular subject area.
In addition to the preparation for GCSE study these qualifications provide, learners are also able to practice sitting an exam. We provide sample assessments which can be used in a number of ways, and tutors are encouraged to impose exam conditions for these sample papers so learners can experience an examination before the real thing. The Level 1 and 2 qualifications also include real assessments in order to enhance this experience. Tutors are able to choose the exam dates, allowing flexibility for both themselves and their learners. In addition to this, tutors can provide immediate feedback to learners, allowing them to further target their weaker areas.
These qualifications underpin the content at GCSE level and ensure learners are fully prepared and have an essential, base knowledge, as well as more confidence, before taking the next step up. Check out our English and maths qualifications and see how they can prepare your learners for GCSE study!
